20 Foods to Cut Colon Cancer Risk

Up to 90% of colon cancer cases can be linked to diet. Let food be your medicine

Recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug for metastatic colon cancer.

Lonsurf is a combination of two drugs, trifluridine and tipiracil. Its most common side effects are life-threatening anemia, a decrease in infection-fighting white blood cells and blood platelets, physical weakness, and extreme fatigue. It also causes nausea, decreased appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever.

The drug maker announced the approval as a milestone offering significant survival benefits to patients. But does it?

A randomized, double-blind study of 800 patients with previously treated advanced colorectal cancer found that patients treated with Lonsurf lived 7.1 months. That compared to 5.3 months for those who took a placebo.

In other words, the drug extended life for less than two months.

The National Cancer Institute says colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Rather than wait for drug companies to find more toxic treatments that don't work, it's best to take your health into your own hands to prevent colon cancer in the first instance.

The primary driver of colon cancer is the Western diet. In a study published in the journal Nutrition researchers noted that diet contributes to 50% to 90% of colon cancercases.[i]

Here are 20 healthy foods that may help protect you from colon cancer.

Leafy green are rich in the mineral magnesium. In a meta-analysis of eight prospective studies published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the highest average intake of magnesium was associated with an 11% reduction in colorectal cancer risk compared to the lowest average intake.

Researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of North Carolina have shown a diet containing dried plums can positively affect your microbiota or gut bacteria. Their study was funded by the California Dried Plum Board and presented at the 2015 Experimental Biology conference in Boston.[ii]

The authors believe that by promoting retention of good bacteria throughout the colon, prunes reduce the rates of precancerous lesions. They suggested that regularly eating prunes may be a viable dietary strategy to help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Bromelainis a digestive enzyme found primarily in the core of the pineapple. It's been found to be superior to the highly toxic chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil as an anti-tumor agent in preclinical research.

Kimchi is a traditional fermented vegetable dish from Korea. It has probiotics which are known to help prevent the onset of colon cancer. When Korean researchers added mistletoe extract to kimchi the combination inhibited the growth of human colon cancer cells by 80%.[iv]

Researchers believe the anticancer effects of kimchi are mostly due to regulation of apoptosis of cancer cells and the inhibition of inflammation.

7. and 8. Green Tea and Parsley

German researchers tested a mixture of flavonoids on 36 patients with resected colon cancer and 51 patients who had colon polyps removed. One group of patients received a daily dose of 20 mg of apigenin and 20 mg of epigallocathechin-gallat (EGCG). Over three to four years, the colon cancer patients receiving the flavonoids had no cancer recurrence compared to a 20% recurrence in the control group.[v]

In addition, polyps recurred in 7% of the treated patients compared to 47% of the control group.

Apigenin is a flavonoid found in parsley, artichokes, and celery. Other sources include rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, coriander, chamomile, and cloves.

9. Grapes

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and resveratrol (derived from grapes) has been linked to a reduced incidence of colon cancer. Research shows resveratrol suppresses a signaling pathway activated in over 85% of colon cancers.

Thirty study participants were placed on a low resveratrol diet. Then they were divided into three groups receiving one-third to one pound of grapes per day for two weeks.

Cancer markers were reduced after grape ingestion. After eating the grapes, markers for individuals over 50 years of age were reduced to levels seen in younger participants.

Cell studies show black seed extract compares favorably to the chemoagent 5-fluoruracil in suppressing colon cancer growth, without the safety issues. And animal research confirms that black seed oil has significant inhibitory effects against colon cancer, without side effects.[vi]

This website is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein we are not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative or conventional treatment regimen, it is advisable to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.